{"id":1760,"date":"2013-11-13T15:11:24","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T19:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/?p=1760"},"modified":"2013-11-13T15:20:03","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T19:20:03","slug":"removing-brain-freezes-brain-farts-and-mental-roadblocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/removing-brain-freezes-brain-farts-and-mental-roadblocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Removing Brain Freezes, Brain Farts and Mental Roadblocks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Unedited by Larry Chiang&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">I really like reading this newsletter called Femgineer. You should SUBSCRIBE to my friend Poornima&#8217;s newsletter<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Email <a href=\"mailto:larry@duck9.com\"><a href=\"mailto:larry@duck9.com\">larry@duck9.com<\/a><\/a>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-65285917-5781-8ff3-0a09-74a45017b698\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Hi Larry, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">When you\u2019re just getting started on a project it\u2019s hard to commit to it. You don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll make progress or an impact. Take for example this newsletter, when I first started it I wasn\u2019t sure if anyone was even going to read it! I just started out writing, and then made it a point to keep consistently writing and sending it out for over a year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">But then interesting things began to happen, a few months after I began it, a number of my readers began reaching out. They thanked me for the work that I was doing, and that\u2019s when I felt like I was a woman on a mission!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">A number of you have recently written in asking me: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">\u201cHow do I come up with a topic to write about?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">\u201cHow do I set aside time in my schedule to write this newsletter weekly?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \">And in the time that I\u2019ve set aside and with the topic I\u2019ve chose, <\/span><span style=\"font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; \">\u201cHow do I manage to get it all done?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">I\u2019ve been wondering those same questions myself! So I decided to take a close look at my process, and share some details with you. My hope is that it will help you understand how in general I manage projects.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">This year alone I\u2019ve sent out a newsletter 29 times, this is the 30th edition!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Getting Over the Mental Blocks <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">When I first began to write, I was nervous, I felt like I was invading people\u2019s inbox, but I didn\u2019t let that stop me. I\u2019d mull over topics for days, finally settling on one, and then I\u2019d take about 3+ hours to write the post. Then another hour to edit. I was spending more than half of my day working on it, but I realized it was worth it! I enjoyed writing it, receiving responses from readers, because it gave me the freedom to stay engaged with a number of you despite where I was in the world.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">However, it took such a long time to produce, that I only had time once or twice a month to send it out. I was dissatisfied. I wanted to connect with people weekly!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">So I made a goal to write every week, and that\u2019s when I realized I had to change a number of things.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Constraints Help Creativity<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">In order to meet my goal I had to alter my behavior. First I had to stop being nervous and picky about the topic. I\u2019d look for inspiration from experiences that I had the prior week, and make sure the theme was broad enough to appeal to my readers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Next, I didn\u2019t want to be erratic in my delivery times, I wanted to give readers a regular experience. To create that experience I\u2019d need to be on a schedule as well. I wanted the newsletter to show up in people\u2019s inboxes <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/0\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"0\">at 10am PST<\/a>, when most of my West Coast buddies would be waking up. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">This meant that I had <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/1\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"1\">until Tuesday<\/a> or early Wednesday morning to produce and edit it, which meant I had to be on a schedule!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">At first being on a schedule was a little bit tough, but as you can imagine, I wouldn\u2019t have produced 30 editions if it hadn\u2019t become a little bit of a habit.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">When I got rid of the mental roadblocks regarding the topic and gave myself a deadline, the time it took me to write went down. Now it takes me a max of about 90 minutes to 2 hours to create this newsletter. Most of the time is spent editing, and I do my best to withhold editing until I\u2019ve written a full draft. (I learned awhile back that editing while writing is bad for the mind. You\u2019re forcing it to do two very different tasks that compete with each other.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Putting a process in place over time has helped me take this project to the next level, but the keys to keeping it alive have been:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Having a goal and being committed to it by clearing my schedule weekly. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Receiving positive feedback from readers like YOU!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">One final note when pursuing a project, you\u2019re going to get some haters\u2026 Initially people would write in and complain or request to unsubscribe. This bothered me at first. But after awhile I changed my mindset, and began to encourage those who were disinterested to unsubscribe, so that I could focus my efforts on creating for those who were engaged!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">I\u2019ve got a number of things coming up this month and next month, that you might be interested in participating in:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage2.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=23ef2985d9&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">I\u2019ll be a on startup panel sharing war stories at the Startup Summit Conference<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> (Raleigh, NC) &#8211; November 13, 2013<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=9dd044139b&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">I\u2019ll be on a security panel at the Internet Summit Conference<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> &nbsp;(Raleigh, NC) &#8211; <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/4\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"4\">November 14, 2013<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage2.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=ad14f6c987&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">The Art of the Handoff<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> (Webinar) &#8211; <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/5\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"5\">November 22, 2013<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Speaking at UNC (Chapel Hill, NC) &#8211; <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/6\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"6\">December 2, 2013<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"mailto:poornima@femgineer.com?subject=deets%20on%20unc%20talk\" target=\"_self\">email me for details<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=cdbdabd932&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">Femgineer Forum: Building Online Cred<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> (San Bruno, CA) &#8211; <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/7\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"7\">December 5, 2013<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage2.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=9fd9f7c791&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">Apply for a scholarship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> to participate in the upcoming iteration of my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=49d018f788&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">Lean Product Development<\/span><\/a><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \"> course &#8211; Deadline: <a href=\"x-apple-data-detectors:\/\/8\" x-apple-data-detectors=\"true\" x-apple-data-detectors-type=\"calendar-event\" x-apple-data-detectors-result=\"8\">December 6, 2013<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Remember it\u2019s OK to feel a little noncommittal when you\u2019re starting a project, because you don\u2019t know what the outcomes will be. But if you\u2019re on the fence, I\u2019d encourage you to start just to see what will happen next (assuming you have time), and as you make progress you can create your own process to keep you going. Do you currently have a process for how you manage your personal projects? I\u2019d like to learn from you, so please share what it is!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Kindly,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">Poornima<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-22f12c1d-513e-98e1-e754-c79549f60e0e\" style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\"><span style=\"vertical-align: baseline; \">PS I\u2019ve formalized my mentorship program. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/femgineer.us6.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=21e8e255f2ac03e542d1abcaa&amp;id=d11218729b&amp;e=86da1e7268\" style=\"text-decoration: none; \"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; \">You can learn more about it here.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: -webkit-auto; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; \"><span style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">ENGR145&#8217;s Anchor Concept: Lemonade and Gua Gua Guacamole&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">It moves you to the right on the entrepreneur bell curve&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eudADPfTWiE&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\"><embed width='425' height='344' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application\/x-shockwave-flash' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/eudADPfTWiE&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=n5jB310egEI&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\"><embed width='425' height='344' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application\/x-shockwave-flash' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/n5jB310egEI&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BMyLcDaWazU&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\"><embed width='425' height='344' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application\/x-shockwave-flash' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/BMyLcDaWazU&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">CEO of Duck9<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Stanford University Entrepreneur in Residence, Emeritus<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Duck9 = &#8220;Deep Underground Credit Knowledge&#8221; 9<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">125 University Avenue\/ 100<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Palo Alto CA 94301<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/ass\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/ass\" >https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/ass<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">650-566-9600<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">650-566-9696 (direct)<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">650-283-8008 (cell)<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">****************<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Editor of the BusinessWeek Channel &#8220;What They Don&#8217;t Teach at Business School&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\"><a href=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\" >https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">CNN Video Channel: <a href=\"https:\/\/ireport.cnn.com\/people\/larrychiang\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ireport.cnn.com\/people\/larrychiang\" >https:\/\/ireport.cnn.com\/people\/larrychiang<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Read my last 10 tweets at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.Twitter.com\/LarryChiang\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.Twitter.com\/LarryChiang\" >https:\/\/www.Twitter.com\/LarryChiang<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Author, NY Times Bestseller<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\/?s=Ny+times+bestseller\"><a href=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\/?s=Ny+times+bestseller\" >https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\/?s=Ny+times+bestseller<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">&#8220;What They Will NEVER Teach You at Stanford Business School&#8221; comes out 11-11-14<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/embed\/c0d4562ea2049\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/embed\/c0d4562ea2049\" >https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/embed\/c0d4562ea2049<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">52 Cards. Two Jokers. What They DO Teach You at Stanford Engineering<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vDBY0GkI3-g&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\"><embed width='425' height='344' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application\/x-shockwave-flash' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/vDBY0GkI3-g&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Emergency swings and cutting deals as an 9 year old<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OFGY7v9C4G0&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\"><embed width='425' height='344' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application\/x-shockwave-flash' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/OFGY7v9C4G0&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">##########<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">Duck9 is part of UCMS Inc.<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucms.com\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucms.com\" >https:\/\/www.ucms.com<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; \">630-705-5555<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unedited by Larry Chiang&nbsp; I really like reading this newsletter called Femgineer. You should SUBSCRIBE to my friend Poornima&#8217;s newsletter Email larry@duck9.com&nbsp; Hi Larry, &nbsp; When you\u2019re just getting started on a project it\u2019s hard to commit to it. You don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll make progress or an impact. Take for example this newsletter, when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}